The Family We Need
by abbiethehufflepuff
Summary: (AU) Sirius is released after (Fem!Harry) Maisie's third year. ***Neville is the Boy-Who-Lived***
1. Freedom

AN: Hello! It's been a while since I've posted a story, hasn't it? Maybe that's just me. I've had this idea for a long time and I'm finally sitting down to write it. Although, I started school this past week so I don't

know how often I will be able to update, but I'll try.

Quick note for this story: It's (kind of) set in the universe of my story "Her First Friend" as it's the same Fem!Harry and there is an OC I put in that story who will also be in this. You don't have to read that story

to understand this one, because he'll probably be explained later.

I think that's everything. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter francise.

Sirius Black's mind was racing as he was dragged out of the Ministry of Magic. He had just had his trial, setting him free and sending Peter Pettigrew to Azkeban.

The trial hadn't lasted long. A few drops a Veritaserum and a memory of October 31, 1981 and Sirius was innocent.

As he felt the guards leave his sides, Sirius remembered his reason for escaping in the first place.

Maisie. He could take her from the Muggles. They could be the family James and Lily wanted.

After quickly reuniting with Remus, Sirius apparated to Grimmauld Place to clean himself up. Then, he set out for Privet Drive.

Maisie Potter was having the typical summer at Number 4. She was ignored, only allowed to speak when spoken to, and she spent as much time away from the house as possible.

Maisie was sitting in the park, her back up against a tree, reading a book. She was snapped out of her book when someone said, "Always reading, aren't you?"

Maisie look up and saw her friend, Ryan Anderson, standing next to her.

"Ryan!" She stood up and hugged him. They sat down and he asked, "How have you been?" Maisie shrugged. "Okay, I guess. How about you?" "Pretty good. School's going well."

He leaned closer to her and asked, "How's Hogwarts?"

Maisie jumped a foot in the air. "Wha-?", she stuttered. Ryan smiled. "It's okay", he said, "I go to Beauxbatons. And, before you ask, it is not an all-girls school." Maisie stared at him.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?", she asked. Ryan shrugged. "I'm a Muggleborn. I didn't know any more about the wizarding world than you did. I saw an owl fly to your aunt and uncle's last year, figured it was your supply list."

Maisie was about to reply when she heard something move in a bush a little ways away from them. "Did you hear that?", she asked.

When Sirius reached Number 4, he noticed that the lights in the house were off and the car was gone. 'Great', he thought, 'Now I have to wait'.

While he waited, Sirius decided to walk further down the street to see what else was there. He kept walking and reached a park when he saw Maisie.

She was sitting on the ground next to a tree, talking to a boy.

Sirius wondered for a moment if that was her cousin, but then he remembered what Maisie had said in one of her letters about her and Dudley not getting along.

He hid in a bush that wasn't too far from them to wait for the boy to leave. He heard the boy say something about Beauxbatons. 'He's a wizard too', Sirius thought.

Sirius moved to be more comfortable, but, in the process, made more noise than he had hoped to.

"Did you hear that?", he heard Maisie ask. "It's probably just a squirrel", the boy responded. "Oh man, I have to go. See you soon?", he asked hopefully. Sirius looked up and saw that they were both standing.

"Yeah. See you", Maisie said. They hugged and the boy ran off. After watching him for a moment, Maisie sat back down and started reading. Sirius changed back into his human form and walked over to her.

He stood next to the tree and cleared his throat. Maisie jumped and looked up at him. "Sirius!", she exclaimed, standing up and hugging him.

"What are you doing here? What if someone sees you?" Sirius laughed. "That won't be a problem any more.", he said. Maisie gave him a confused look before she smiled. "Y-you're free?" Sirius nodded. "As of a few hours ago, yes. I thought, maybe, if you wanted, you could come with me?" Maisie nodded enthusiastically.

Sirius put his arm around her as they walked towards Number 4. "Let's get your things then."

AN: This was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. For the record, Beauxbatons is not an all-girls school (I googled it). Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!


	2. Little To No Argument

**AN: Thanks for the follows and favorites!**

"So", Sirius asked as they were walking. "Who was that boy you were talking to?" "My friend, Ryan.", Maisie replied. Sirius gave her a disbelieving look. "What?", she asked. Sirius couldn't resist. "So, he's just a friend?", he asked. He laughed when Maisie blushed.

"He's not my boyfriend, Sirius."

"Whatever you say."

"He's not!"

Sirius was about to say something when Maisie stopped. "What?" She nodded toward the house. The Dursleys had just gotten home, and Vernon was just now unlocking the door to the house.

Sirius felt his goddaughter tense and he squeezed her shoulder before walking closer to the house.

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me?", he asked in a deceivingly polite tone. Sirius had heard quite a bit about Petunia, and a little about Vernon, from Lily, and he had decided, even then, that he couldn't stand them.

Apparently, the Dursleys remembered Sirius from the Muggle news from the year before, as they both paled instantly upon seeing him. "Y-you!", Vernon stuttered as Petunia hid Dudley behind her. Sirius nodded. "Ah, I see you've heard of me. I just came to take my goddaughter", he gestured to Maisie, "home with me. She won't need to stay with you any longer."

The fear the Dursleys had toward Sirius immediately vanished.

"What are you waiting for, then?", Vernon snapped. "Take her!" Sirius narrowed his eyes. "I will, as soon as she gets her things from your house." He turned around to face Maisie and frowned at how she looked.

She was...shaking?

Sirius walked back to her and put his hand on her shoulder, surprised when she flinched away from him. He glared at the Dursleys and they took it as their que to go inside.

"Maisie?", he asked quietly. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" She looked like she was about to say something, but she never did.

0000

Maisie couldn't believe this had to happen now, right when she was about to leave the Durselys. She could hear Sirius talking to her, but she couldn't respond.

She wanted to tell him that she was fine, that this has happened before and she knew what to do.

After a few deep breaths and a happy thought (living with Sirius), she noticed that Sirius had knelt in front of her, and was looking at her worriedly.

Maisie cleared her throat before saying, "Sorry. I'm fine." Sirius gave her a disbelieving look, but he didn't ask. "Let's get what you need and get home, then.", he said with a smile.

Maisie nodded and started walking toward the house, Sirius walking beside her.

The Dursleys, apparently more afraid of Sirius than Maisie thought, were hiding in the kitchen when the two walked in. Maisie looked back at Sirius with a smile and he winked at her.

Once she got to her room, Maisie started throwing everything she had into her trunk which still had all of her things for school in it, as well as most of her clothes.

When she went back downstairs, Sirius was where he had been when she went to her room, but her aunt and uncle weren't standing by the kitchen door. She looked at Sirius and he shrugged.

Sirius led her outside and, after sending her trunk to the house, held his arm out to her. "Hold on tight, okay?", he said.

Maisie nodded and grabbed his arm. He put his hand on hers to make sure he wouldn't lose her in the excitement of apparating.

 **AN: Do any of you think these chapters are too long? I feel like I could keep going with this one, but I figured I could just save it for the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	3. Finally Home

**AN: Hello! Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Just in case you didn't notice, the summary of this story changed. Haha, yeah, I kind of forgot that I wanted Neville to be the Boy-Who-Lived in this. Whoops! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.**

Sirius immediately felt guilty for not warning Maisie about apparation. He felt her stumble away from him and he grabbed her hand to steady her. "Sorry", he said, "The first apparation can be a little difficult."

After a few moments of catching her breath, Maisie nodded. "Yeah, a little." She looked around the field they were in, surprised when she didn't see anything. She gave Sirius a confused look and he smiled.

"Right. Almost forgot.", he said as he pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to his goddaughter. "I need you to memorize this." After a moment of looking at it, Maisie nodded. "I've got it."

He smiled as Maisie stared, wide-eyed, at the house. Sirius walked up behind her and grabbed her hand. "Let's go in, yeah?" She smiled and walked toward the house with him.

0000

The house was huge. Bigger than any house Maisie had ever seen. She looked back at Sirius and smiled. "This is amazing!", she exclaimed.

"Would you like to see your room?", he asked. Maisie's smile widened at the thought. Her own room! She nodded and Sirius led her upstairs. They stopped in front of the door.

"We can change it if you don't like it", Sirius said nervously before gesturing for Maisie to open the door. Maisie, not understanding why Sirius looked so anxious, turned the doorknob and walked into the-her-bedroom.

Whatever she had been expecting, this room doubled it.

It was huge; with a full-sized bed, a desk and a chair, dressers...

Maisie turned around and smiled at Sirius before launching herself at him. "Thank you so much, Sirius", she said quietly. She felt him kiss the top of her head. "You're welcome, sweetheart", he said, just as quiet.

0000

As Sirius watched his goddaughter look around her bedroom, he felt a pang of guilt. It was obvious the Muggles hadn't given her much, if anything, by the way she looked so excited by the most minor things.

He was taken out of his thoughts by Maisie hugging him. When she thanked him, she sounded close to tears, making Sirius tighten his arms around the thirteen year old.

A few hours later, the two of them were sitting at the dining room table talking when Sirius remembered something.

After a few moments of silence, Sirius asked, "Can you tell me what happened when we got to your aunt and uncle's house?" Maisie looked at her hands.

She took a deep breath before she explained. "It's an anxiety thing. It hasn't happened in a while...I don't know why it happened then. I know how to control it, happened during first year and Madam Pomfrey told me what to do."

Sirius frowned at how she said that. It sounded like she was apologizing.

"Come here", Sirius said, motioning her over to him. Maisie sat in the chair next to him and he put his arm around her.

"I don't think any different of you, sweetheart. You can't help it." He smiled when Maisie leaned into him. "Thank you, Sirius. For everything.", she whispered.

"You're welcome, love."

 **AN: Phew! This chapter took me a while, and I'm not 100% sure if I like it or not. The anxiety thing won't be a big part of this story, just a side thing, as I said that Maisie knows how to handle it. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!**


	4. Late Night Problems

**AN: Thanks to everyone for the support on this story, I really appreciate it :)**

 **The story behind Neville being the Boy-Who-Lived is that there was the Prophecy, just like the books, but, since it mentioned a** _ **boy**_ **who was born at the end of July, Voldemort knew to go after Frank and Alice. James and Lily had already been targeted by the Death Eaters a few times before that, just for being in the Order. There was still the betrayal, Peter told the Death Eaters where to find James and Lily.**

 **I think that's everything. Enjoy!**

A thought that had been at the back of Sirius' mind since he had taken Maisie with him was that he had no idea how to take care of a teenaged girl.

In all honesty, he didn't know what to expect.

Would she be more like Lily, sweet but headstrong? Or more like James, sarcastic and talkative?

He tried not to compare Maisie to James and Lily, as she was her own person, but sometimes it was a reflex.

As he got to know her, Sirius realized that Maisie was almost a perfect mix of the two of them.

She ran her hands through her hair a lot, like James, and had his sense of humor. At the same time, she had Lily's smile and her sweet and caring personality.

He had to wonder, though, what would it be like if James and Lily were still here?

They'd be proud of Maisie, definitely, and she'd have had a _much_ better life with them...

Sirius shook these thoughts out of his mind and thought about his goddaughter, who, at the moment, was asleep upstairs.

He looked at the clock and saw that it was 12:30. Time had really gotten away from him.

He went upstairs to his bedroom, which was right across from Maisie's, when he heard something from her room.

0000

Maisie sat up in her bed, trying to stop crying. She had woken up in tears an hour before, crying because of the all too familiar nightmare she had just had.

Maisie had had this nightmare for as long as she could remember, and, since she was eleven, she knew what it was about.

She could hear a woman screaming, a man yelling, and green light.

The night her parents were killed by the Death Eaters.

She didn't know how long she had been awake when she heard footsteps coming toward her room.

Maisie quickly wiped her eyes and laid down on her side, facing away from the door, when the door opened and she heard Sirius walk over to her bed.

"Maisie?", he asked quietly. _Maybe if I don't answer him, he'll leave,_ Maisie thought hopefully.

"I know you're awake, Maisie", Sirius said.

Maisie sat up and looked away from him. "What's wrong?", Sirius asked worriedly. Still not looking at him, Maisie replied, "I h-had a nightmare."

She heard Sirius sigh. "Come here, love", Sirius said quietly, holding his arms open. Maisie moved over to him and leaned into his arms.

"I'm here whenever you need me, sweetheart", he said, "Especially if you have a nightmare. I don't care what time it is, I'm just across the hall. Okay?" Maisie nodded against his chest.

"Alright. Try to get some more sleep, May, I'll be right here." Maisie smiled at the nickname and laid back down.

The last thing she remembered was hearing Sirius transform into Padfoot and feeling him lie down beside her.

 **AN: Woo hoo! Another chapter done. I feel like the story's been kind of slow so far. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Thanks for reading!**


	5. News

**AN: I'm so sorry, guys! School has been picking up and a lot has happened at once.**

 **Thanks again for the support!**

When Sirius woke up the next morning, he smiled inwardly at what he saw.

Maisie was lying on her side, facing him, her hair covering her face. _She looks just like Lily_ , Sirius thought.

He stood up and transformed back and looked at the clock, which read 9:30.

Sirius sat down on the bed and gently shook his goddaughter's shoulder. She made a noise of protest and pulled the covers up higher. He smiled and pushed the covers back down, shaking her again.

"Come on, love, time to get up."

Maisie rolled onto her back and stretched, yawning.

"Thank you for staying with me", she said quietly. Sirius smiled. "Anytime, sweetheart."

After leaving the room so his goddaughter could get dressed, Sirius headed down to the kitchen to start on breakfast for the two of them, his mind wandering as he did so.

Sirius loved having Maisie with him, and could tell that she was opening up more to him. Although, there was one thing he had noticed about the girl.

The thirteen year old would constantly talk down to herself, blaming herself for anything and everything that happened.

Ever since he had noticed this, Sirius had known he would have to help her stop, as it seemed like it was a reflex for her to do it.

He turned around when he heard Maisie enter the room. Her red hair was in a ponytail, her side-bangs falling over her eye.

"Morning, sweetheart.", he said. "Morning", she replied tiredly.

Sirius brought the food to the table and sat down across from her.

 _Might as well get this over with_ , Sirius thought after a few minutes of silence.

"Maisie, I think we need to talk."

0000

Maisie looked up from her plate and at Sirius, trying to keep a worried look off of her face.

"You're not in trouble", Sirius reassured her. _Well, so much for not looking scared._

"Since you've been here", Sirius continued, "I've noticed that you...put yourself down quite a bit."

Maisie nodded. She'd always been blamed for everything and insulted, which gave her the habit of doing it.

"It bothers me when you do that", Sirius said. "Because everything I've heard you say isn't true. I know your aunt and uncle didn't treat you as well as they should have", Sirius paused here, a pained look on his face.

"You can't let what they've said-what anyone's said-get to you. I don't want to hear you say those things about yourself, okay?"

Maisie nodded, not knowing what else to do.

There were a few more minutes of silence before they heard tapping at the window.

Sirius stood up and opened it, letting the owl in and untying the letter from its leg.

"What?", Maisie asked when Sirius smirked at her.

"It's from your boyfriend."

Maisie stood up immediately and walked over to him, taking the letter from him.

 _Dear Maisie,_

 _You couldn't have told me that you were leaving? I had to go to your aunt and uncle's house to ask them where you'd gone (they seemed all too happy to tell me that you were gone)._

 _I am happy for you, though. You deserve way better than the Dursleys._

 _Also, I have great news! I'm transferring to Hogwarts this year!_

 _It was my mum's idea, when I told her you went to Hogwarts (and that it's not as far away as France), she decided that we should look into it for me!_

 _I'm going to visit in August and I'll get Sorted then. I'm so excited, I feel like a first year!_

 _So, I'll see you at school, I guess!_

 _See you soon,_

 _Ryan_

Maisie couldn't stop smiling as she finished reading the letter.

"Just a friend, huh?", Sirius asked her teasingly. Maisie blushed and looked at the floor.

They sat back down at the table and continued eating until Sirius said, "You know, it's funny that he's transferring _this year_." Maisie gave him a confused look. "Why?"

"Because Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year. Two other schools are coming to compete. Durmstrang, a school in Bulgaria, and Beauxbatons. He'd be here this year anyway."

"What's the Triwizard Tournament?", Maisie asked, a smile still visible on her face.

"Three students are chosen-one from each school-to compete. The tournament is made up of three tasks, or challenges. It's extremely dangerous. I don't know how someone managed to convince the Ministry to hold another.", Sirius explained.

Maisie nodded, her mind drifting back to the letter. She couldn't believe that she'd get to see Ryan again, everyday!

 _Here's hoping he's a Gryffindor,_ Maisie thought.

She was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

000

It was obvious to Sirius that his goddaughter had a crush on this kid.

The way her eyes lit up at the mention of a _letter_ from him made it clear enough.

Sirius found himself wishing, not for the first time, that Lily was still there. She'd definitely know what to do in this situation. Sirius also knew what James' position would be, because he felt the same way:

 _We scare the kid off and act like nothing happened._

Sirius smiled as he remembered that conversation.

 _Lily was in the kitchen, the Marauders were in the living room, talking. James was sitting on the floor playing with his daughter, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sitting on the couch._

 _"You know", James said suddenly, "Since Maisie looks so much like Lily, I've got a feeling that all the boys will be after her."_

 _Lily entered the room, rolling her eyes as she picked her daughter up._

 _"You're right, Prongs", Sirius agreed jokingly, "We'll need to start training her in Defense so she can fight them off."_

 _James smiled as he stood up and stretched._

 _"That's it, she's not dating until she's twenty-one."_

 _"James, you're not even twenty-one", Remus pointed out._

 _James nodded. "Exactly. No parents want their daughter to marry and have a baby so young."_

 _"So, how do we get rid of the boys?", Peter asked._

 _"Easy", James answered, "We scare them kid off and pretend nothing happened._

"Sirius?", he heard Maisie say.

"Yeah? Sorry, got lost in thought there. Are you done eating?"

Maisie nodded and stood up. "I'm going up to my room." She went upstairs.

Sirius knew what his goddaughter was doing.

She was going to write that boy back.

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	6. Letters and Conversations

Maisie had been staring at a sheet of parchment for twenty minutes now, and she had no idea how to start this letter.

 _I'm so excited to see you!_ No, too forward.

 _I'm really happy for you._ Not friendly enough.

 _I hope you're a Gryffindor, like me!_ Way too eager.

 _Can't wait for this year!_ Too generic.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. She looked up and saw Sirius standing there, leaning on the doorframe.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to Hogwarts to meet with Dumbledore. I'll be back around six thirty", he said as he walked over and kissed Maisie's cheek. Maisie nodded and told him goodbye. She looked at her clock. 4:30.

 _I've been doing this longer than I thought_ , Maisie thought. She gathered her thoughts and, fifteen minutes later, finished the letter.

 _Ryan,_

 _Sorry I didn't tell you, but, in my defense, I didn't know I was leaving, either. I'm so excited to go to school with you! It's been so long._

 _I really hope you're a Gryffindor, then we'll be able to see each other more (no pressure, though)._

 _You should've seen the look on my aunt and uncle's faces when my godfather showed up! It was great!_

 _See you in September._

 _Maisie_

That was good enough, right? Maisie stared at it for another few minutes before calling Hedwig and sending her off with the letter.

As soon as Hedwig flew away, another owl cam through her window. Maisie recognized it as Hermione's. She untied the letter and read it.

 _Dear Maisie,_

 _How are you? I heard that you live with Sirius now! I'm so happy for you both._

 _Ron said something in one of his letters about their family going to the Quidditch World Cup, which, according to him, is very important._

 _Hope you're doing well,_

 _Hermione_

Maisie smiled at the last part. She could see Hermione rolling her eyes.

Ron had mentioned the World Cup to her as well, but Maisie wasn't sure if she was interested.

Sure, she liked Quidditch, but she wasn't _that_ big of a fan. Especially since she didn't really know of many professional teams.

She grabbed another piece of parchment and began another letter to Hermione.

000

Sirius had decided to go to Hogwarts to talk to Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey, about Maisie.

Maisie had told him about her first two years at Hogwarts (the second was more interesting than the first), and Sirius was terrified.

What kind of a school lets three children go after the Sorcerer's Stone _by themselves_? Not to mention the fact that they came face to face with Voldemort!

At least Maisie wasn't part of that one.

Hearing about their second year almost gave Sirius a heart attack.

Maisie could have _died._ In fact, she came close in the Chamber. If Neville hadn't rescued both her and Ginny Weasley, who knows what would've happened.

He stopped outside the headmaster's office, said the password, and stepped inside.

"Ah, Sirius, please come in", Dumbledore said when he saw the younger wizard.

Sirius nodded and sat in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"How are you?", he asked. "Very well, thank you", Sirius replied. "Maisie is doing great."

"She's very special, isn't she?", Dumbledore said with a warm smile. Sirius smiled as well and nodded.

"Anyway, how can I help you?"

 _How much time do you have?_ , Sirius thought.

 **AN: Hey guys, hope you enjoyed! It's a little short, but I wanted to get you guys another chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	7. Potions

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait (again)! Same excuse as last time: school.**

After Dumbledore assured Sirius that "every caution is being taken" with the Tournament, and "things like that will never happen again", Sirius stood up and left without a word.

His next stop would be the Hospital Wing to talk to Madam Pomfrey about Maisie's anxiety.

Poppy looked up as she heard Sirius enter.

"Mr. Black, how can I help you?", she asked.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about Maisie's anxiety problem?", Sirius replied.

Madam Pomfrey nodded as she stood and motioned for Sirius to follow her. They stopped by her potion stock.

"I understand that she knows how to handle it", she said while scanning the shelf, "but I believe that there is a potion that could help prevent it altogether-ah! Here it is." Poppy handed Sirius the potion.

"She needs to take it daily-preferably at night, as it will make her very tired.", she explained.

Sirius nodded. "Thank you, Poppy." The older woman nodded and Sirius turned to leave.

0000

Maisie was doing her summer work when she heard Sirius come home.

"Hey", he said as he walked into her bedroom.

Maisie looked up and smiled. "Hi. What's that?", she asked, pointing toward the bag her godfather was carrying.

"Potions", Sirius replied simply. "I talked to Madam Pomfrey about your anxiety and she said that these potions should help with it."

Maisie nodded.

A few hours later, Maisie was going to bed, so Sirius gave her one of the potions.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't kidding when she said the potions would make Maisie tired.

He had to carry her up to her room that night.

 **Sorry again for not updating regularly, there's really no schedule for this. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Back To Hogwarts

**Hey guys! This is the third time I've had to apologize for not updating in awhile…**

 **Sorry!**

Sirius couldn't believe it, he didn't _want_ to believe it.

He couldn't believe that school was starting again. He was going to miss having Maisie around the house.

Maisie had opened up to him quite a bit since the beginning of the summer, and Sirius could tell that she was starting to get comfortable with him.

Here he was, September 1st, sitting in the kitchen while he waited for his goddaughter to come downstairs so they could leave.

0000

Maisie couldn't believe the summer had gone by so fast.

She figured it was because this was the best summer she'd ever had.

As she double-checked her trunk, Maisie thought about how much her life had changed in the last three months.

Sirius had been freed, he had taken her in. They were a family.

That word still got to Maisie.

 _Family._ Sirius _wanted_ her. She didn't think she'd ever get her head around that.

Maisie looked at her clock. 10:00. Sirius had wanted to leave around 10:30.

Maisie headed downstairs and found Sirius staring at the table.

"Sirius?", she asked as she sat down.

"Hm? Oh, sorry", Sirius replied. "Did you say something?"

Maisie shook her head, smiling, and started eating.

An hour and a half later, Maisie and Sirius were waiting on the platform.

Maisie was looking for the Weasleys when Sirius tapped her shoulder.

She looked up at him, and he took a deep breath.

"Be safe this year, for me. There's an age requirement for the Tournament, but, with your year, you never know."

Maisie smiled. "I will. I-I'm going to miss you."

And there went Sirius' dignity.

Without a second thought, he grabbed his goddaughter and hugged her to him. He could hear Maisie laugh a little bit.

The moment was cut short by the train arriving.

"I love you, sweetheart. Have fun."

 **Again, I'm sorry for the wait!**


	9. New & Old Friends

**Thanks for the support, guys! I really do appreciate it :)**

Maisie was wandering around the train, looking for familiar faces when she heard someone call her name.

She turned around and saw one of her best friends, Ron Weasley, coming toward her.

"Ron!", Maisie called as she met him halfway. Hermione came over as well and hugged her.

"So, how was your summer?", Hermione asked when they sat in a compartment.

"Wicked!", Ron exclaimed. "The Quidditch World Cup was amazing! You should've seen the teams!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Maisie.

"Amazing. I love being with Sirius.", Maisie said with a smile. Hermione smiled as well. "I'm so happy for you, May."

After another few minutes of talking, there was a knock on the compartment door.

Maisie gasped when she saw who it was. She stood up and opened the door.

"Ryan!", she exclaimed. Ryan smiled and hugged her. "Hey! I'm so glad I found you, I almost sat with a group of first years."

Maisie giggled and motioned for him to sit down.

"Ron, Hermione, this is my friend Ryan. Ryan, these are my best friends."

The three others exchanged hellos and smiles.

"So, what house are you in?", Maisie asked. "You said you were getting sorted this summer."

Ryan smiled slyly. "I want to surprise you."

Maisie rolled her eyes.

"How did you meet?", Hermione asked, giving Maisie a _look_ that she couldn't read.

"Well…."

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing! If you want to know how Maisie and Ryan met, check out my story "Her First Friend". *Shameless plug***


	10. Rumors

**Hey guys! Hopefully I haven't made you wait too long for this chapter :) Hope you enjoy!**

Ryan disappeared before the Sorting, and when he didn't come back halfway through the feast, Maisie was started to worry.

They had twenty minutes left before curfew when he finally decided to come back. He sat down next to Maisie with a smile.

"Ryan! There you are, where have you-" she noticed his tie. "You're a Gryffindor? Awesome!"

They hugged and Maisie started to introduce him to everyone in their year.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maisie saw Parvati and Lavender whispering to each other and giggling. She shrugged it off and listened to Ryan, Ron, and Seamus talk about Quidditch.

Later that night, Maisie was in the room she shared with Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Romilda Vane.

"So…", Lavender started. The other girls looked at Maisie expectantly.

"What?", she asked.

"You never told us you have a boyfriend!", Romilda exclaimed. Maisie blushed and looked away.

"Aha!", Parvati shrieked, pointing at her friend. "So it _is_ true!"

Maisie sighed and stood up.

"It is not true", she said tiredly.

"But, you like him, right?", Hermione chimed in. Maisie glared at her.

"What? It's pretty obvious."

Maisie fell back onto her bed. "Ugh. I don't know. I met him when I was nine, at the Muggle school I went to. He was one of the fir-best friends I've ever had." She quickly caught herself before she could say he was the _first_ friend he had ever made.

The girls-besides Hermione-kept talking about boys for another half hour before Maisie finally told them to be quiet so she could sleep.

She was still awake two hours later.

 **Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed. I know it's a little short, but I wanted to give you another chapter. :)**


	11. The Goblet of Fire

Life at Hogwarts had gone back to normal.

Well, almost.

Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had arrived, and many students had put their names in the Goblet of Fire.

So here they were, sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for Dumbledore to pick the names from the Goblet.

When the first name came out, Dumbledore read it loudly:

"From Durmstrang: Viktor Krum!

And the second.

"From Beauxbatons: Fleur Delacour!"

And the third.

"And from Hogwarts: Cedric Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted with applause and cheers as Cedric stood and walked to the room the other Champions were waiting in.

Dumbledore had begun to speak again before the Goblet looked as if it'd give another name…

Another sheet of parchment flew out, and Dumbledore read it questioningly.

"Neville Longbottom…"

Then louder.

"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM"

...And here come the rumors.

The entire Hall started muttering, including the other schools.

Maisie heard "He cheated!" "He's not even seventeen!"

Dumbledore barely looked at him as he walked past.

Maisie saw Professor McGonagal pick something off the floor and show it to the other teachers.

The older woman quickly walked to Maisie and said,

"Ms. Potter, if we could have a word in the corridor?"

Maisie nodded nervously and stood up.

Once the door closed, Professors McGonagal, Moody, and Snape stared at Maisie.

Snape was the one who started.

"Did you try to enter as well, Ms. Potter?"

Maisie could've fainted. "Wh-what? No, I didn't."

Snape held her gaze for a few seconds before looking at Minerva, who sighed.

"We have enough to worry about without this. Albus is probably waiting for us." She and Snape went back into the Great Hall, but Moody waited, stopping Maisie as she started to go in.

"Listen, Potter", he said gruffly. "We already knew someone is out to get Longbottom, but you're a new one. Any idea who did this?"

Maisie frantically shook her head.

"Alright. Write your godfather. This'll be in the Prophet by tomorrow."

With that, he walked back into the Great Hall, and Maisie stood there, stunned.

She needed a calming draught.


	12. Explanations

**Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing that has any relation to Harry Potter.**

Sirius sat at the kitchen table, staring at the _Prophet_ 's headline:

 _Neville Longbottom entered in the Tri-Wizard Tournament! Another Fourth Year's name found next to Goblet!_

He had read the article, and what he saw shocked him.

 _In the aftermath of The-Boy-Who-Lived's entrance in the Tournament, the professors found another slip of parchment on the floor._

 _The parchment read the name of yet another Fourth Year: Maisie Potter._

 _It is unclear whether Ms. Potter entered herself, or asked an older student to do so._

Sirius had been staring at this page for twenty minutes before he heard an owl pecking at the window.

He stood up and opened it, letting Hedwig in and untying the letter from her leg.

 _Sirius,_

 _By the time this letter gets to you, you probably have read the Prophet by now._

 _I'm writing this right after the Champions were chosen, and my name was found on the floor._

 _I promise, Sirius, I didn't do it. People think that Neville was just doing it for attention, so they don't know what to think about me._

 _On the bright side, no one has really talked about me. The main focus is on Neville._

 _Love,_

 _Maisie._

Sirius let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

 _Who would try to enter Maisie?,_ he thought, starting to worry again.

Sirius figured that no one would be out to get Maisie; she wasn't the child in the Prophecy, Neville was.

Yet again, he imagined what would happen if James and Lily were here.

 _This is ridiculous!,_ James would say. _We have to find who did this!_

 _James,_ Lily would say tiredly.

 _Lily, someone is trying to_ hurt _our daughter! You expect me to just sit back and watch!?_

Lily would put her arms around him.

 _I know. But we need to be positive. She_ wasn't _chosen._

Sirius smiled sadly. He could still hear their voices so clearly.

Maybe he shouldn't worry about someone hurting Maisie…

But that doesn't mean he won't.


	13. More Rumors

It had been a few days since Neville's name came out of the Goblet, and almost everyone was shunning him.

A group of Slytherin's had made buttons that supported Cedric, and when they tapped it with their wands, it changed to "Longbottom Stinks!"

"So clever", Maisie had told Ryan sarcastically the first time she saw it.

Malfoy had heard her. "What was that, Potter? Still whining about how you weren't chosen?

Gryffindors. Attention seekers, the lot of them."

She saw Ryan grab his wand, but she put a hand on his arm. "Let's just go."

On top of everything, Neville and Ron were fighting.

Ron had gotten angry because he thought Neville entered the Tournament without telling him.

Which Neville didn't, but Ron wouldn't listen to him.

So, Maisie and Hermione were forced to run back and forth between the two boys, communicating for them. It got old pretty fast, and Maisie gave up early on.

The Yule Ball was going to take place on Christmas Eve, meaning that many students (fourth years and up) would be staying at Hogwarts over the holiday.

Maisie wanted to go to the Yule Ball, but she also wanted to go home.

That was a first.

She wanted to spend Christmas with Sirius, and actually have a _real_ holiday with her _real_ family.

Maisie wrote Sirius a letter about it, and he replied with,

 _Don't worry about me, love. You have fun._

 _We have a lot of holidays to look forward to._

This made her smile.

She could spend every holiday for the rest of her life with Sirius.

One Christmas couldn't hurt, right?

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a great day!**


	14. An Important Question

The Yule Ball was two days away, and Maisie figured that she'd just go with a group of friends.

That is, until Hermione said she had a date and wouldn't tell anyone who it was.

Ron had tried to ask Fleur Delacour, but he panicked and she turned him down.

Maisie and Hermione were in the library helping Neville with the next task when Ryan caught up to them.

"Hey, guys", he greeted. "Maisie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure.", Maisie replied. She followed him to the courtyard where they sat down on a bench.

Ryan looked nervous. "Would you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Maisie blushed. "Sure, that sounds great."

"Awesome!", Ryan exclaimed. "I'll see you later." He ran off.

Maisie could hear Sirius' voice.

 _Just a friend, hm?_

0000

That night in the dorms, Hermione asked, "So, Maisie, what did Ryan want to talk with you about?"

Every other girl in the room looked at Maisie expectantly.

"He asked me to the Ball."

Lavender and Parvati giggled.

"And what did you say?", Romilda asked.

Maisie smiled. "I said 'yes', obviously!"

"Maisie that's great!", Lavender shrieked.

The girls spent the rest of the night talking about the Ball and who they were (or wish they were) going with.

 **Thanks for reading & sorry it's a little short. :)**


	15. The Yule Ball

**Thanks for the support, guys. I don't know how to tell you how much I appreciate it! :D**

Maisie didn't think she'd ever been so nervous.

As she and the other girls were doing their hair, and Maisie eventually asked Lavender to do hers, the others were chatting excitedly while Maisie was silent.

"Are you alright?", Lavender asked. "You look like you're about to go to Azkeban."

"I think so", Maisie replied half-heartedly.

"You really shouldn't be nervous", Romilda chimed in. "It's obvious that he likes you."

Maisie turned her head sharply, earning a "watch it!" from Lavender.

She looked at Romilda in the mirror. "What do you mean?"

"He stares at you all the time. I've heard him talking about you with Ron, too.", she replied.

"Where's Hermione?", Maisie asked, hoping no one noticed the sudden subject change.

"I haven't seen her since lunch", Parvati answered, touching up her makeup. "She's probably in the library, or something."

"There you go", Lavender said, finishing Maisie's hair.

"Whoa", Maisie breathed. "Thanks, Lav."

One side of Maisie's dark red hair was pulled into a braid that extended around the back of her head. The rest was curled perfectly.

"No problem. Do you want your makeup done?"

Maisie thought about it before shaking her head. "No thanks."

She smoothed her dress down and stepped into her shoes before leaving the dorm to look for Hermione.

0000

The Ball was about to start, and Hermione was nowhere to be found. Maisie walked to the Great Hall with Ron.

"Poor kid, probably crying her eyes out.", Ron remarked.

"Who?", Maisie asked.

"Hermione. Isn't it obvious? _Nobody asked her._ Why else wouldn't she tell us who she was going with?"

"Because you'd make fun of her if she did."

The two of them walked down the stairs where they'd meet their dates.

Padma was waiting for Ron.

"Hi, Padma.", Maisie said.

"Hi, Maisie. You look beautiful!"

Maisie blushed. "Thanks, you do too."

Padma looked at Ron's dress robes and, trying desperately not to laugh, said, "Don't you look...dashing."

Maisie looked up the stairs and saw Ryan fixing his blonde hair.

 _Why are you so perfect?_

"Hey. You look amazing.", he said with a charming smile.

"Thanks, you do too.", Maisie replied.

The two of them hurried inside as the Champions lined up to enter.

"Is that Hermione Granger with Viktor Krum?", Padma asked.

Maisie smiled widely and shook her head. _That's why she wouldn't tell us._

"No", Ron replied. "It can't be."

Ron didn't dance with Padma for the entire Ball. Eventually, a boy from Durmstrang asked her to dance and she said yes.

Ryan went to get drinks for him and Maisie and she sat down with Ron.

"How's it going?", Maisie asked cheerfully.

"Shut up", Ron replied, annoyed.

Hermione wandered over with Viktor, who told her he'd be right back.

She sat down with them. "Hot, isn't it?", she said breathlessly.

"How could you not tell me you were going with him?", Maisie demanded, leaning over Ron.

"Yeah, how could you?", Ron repeated, quite a bit of anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry", Hermione said, ignoring Maisie completely. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes. He's much too old."

"Oh please", Hermione said, standing up. "I'm not the one who wanted his autograph."

Ron stood up as well, and the two of them bickered until they were outside the Hall.

Maisie followed.

"You know what the solution is?", Hermione asked, her voice wavering.

"What?"

"The next time there's a Ball, ask me before anyone else does. Not as a last resort!"

"They get scary as they get older", Ron muttered. He was met with Maisie's glare.

"Ron you spoiled everything!", Hermione yelled at him.

Ron ran up the stairs, and Hermione sat on them.

Maisie sat with her.

"Are you okay?", she asked quietly.

Her friend nodded. "You can go back. Don't let me ruin your night."

Maisie grabbed her hand. "I'll be right back. I'm going to tell Ryan that something came up. Don't move, okay?"

Hermione smiled as Maisie hurried back into the Great Hall.

"Ryan!", Maisie called when she saw him.

"Hey, there you are."

"Sorry, Hermione's a little upset and I'm going to hang out with her for a while. Is that okay with you?"

Ryan nodded and gave her a genuine smile. "Go ahead. I'll go hang out with Seamus and Dean."

"Are you sure?"

Ryan put his hand on her shoulders. " _Go._ "

"Thanks. You're the best.", Maisie smiled.

Ryan looked up and blushed. "Uh…"

"What?", Maisie asked. "Oh."

Mistletoe.

The two of them looked around awkwardly before Ryan took a deep breath and kissed her.

They broke apart and laughed awkwardly.

The two of them were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

It was Professor McGonagall.

"Excuse me, Ms. Potter. but your godfather is here for you."

"Oh, okay. Bye, Ryan, and thanks. I had a lot of fun.

Ryan smiled and they hugged. "I did, too."

Maisie left the hall and saw Sirius outside waiting for her.

"I didn't know you were coming", she said as he hugged her. Sirius shrugged.

"Wanted to surprise you. So, how was your night?"

"It was fun. Besides Ron and Hermione fighting, anyway.", Maisie replied.

"How's your boyfriend?", he asked with a smirk.

Maisie didn't correct him; she just smiled and thought about the kiss.

 **Woo! That was really long. Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	16. Christmas Day

It was after midnight when Sirius and Maisie apparated home.

"I hate this dress", Maisie complained, pulling the hair ties out of the braid in her hair. "And these shoes."

Sirius smiled. "Did you do your hair?"

"No, my friend Lavender did. She asked me if I wanted her to do my makeup too; I said no."

"Good", Sirius replied. "You look much more beautiful without it, I'm sure."

Maisie blushed and looked at the floor.

He saw her hide a yawn behind her hand.

"Go get some sleep, love. I'll let you sleep later. Even though it's Christmas."

His goddaughter smiled and went up the stairs, smoothing her hair down as she went.

Sirius went to check on her ten minutes later and saw that she had changed her clothes and then had fallen asleep on top of her bed.

He chuckled softly as he picked her up and gently laid her under the covers, brushing her hair out of her face after.

0000

Maisie woke up way later than she normally did that day.

She looked at her clock (10:30!) and jumped out of bed to get ready. It had completely slipped her mind that it was Christmas until she went downstairs and saw that Sirius had decorated the house.

Maisie went into the kitchen where she found Sirius cooking.

He turned around when he heard her footsteps.

"Morning, love."

She walked over and jumped up onto the counter.

"Morning."

Sirius stopped what he was doing and hugged her. "Merry Christmas, Maisie."

"Merry Christmas", she replied with a smile.

They were quiet for a moment as Sirius went back to cooking.

"So, what happened between Ron and Hermione last night?", he asked, breaking the silence.

Maisie sighed. "Hermione went to the Ball with Viktor Krum-the Durmstrang champion-and she didn't tell us; we found out when the Champions walked into the Great Hall. Ron basically ignored his date, by the way. She was bored the entire time.

"I was talking to him, then Hermione came over and started talking about Viktor. Ron started being mean to her, and they ended up yelling at each other the entire way out. Hermione was a mess after that.

"I was going to sit with her after I told Ryan about it, and he was okay with it, then we saw that there was-", Maisie stopped herself.

"There was Professor McGonagall. And she told me that you were there."

 _Here's hoping he buys that_

Sirius looked confused at the pause, but didn't ask.

"So, Ryan didn't do anything stupid?", he asked jokingly.

Maisie smiled. "Nope. He was great."

The rest of the day was spent opening presents and Sirius telling stories about his time at Hogwarts.

 **Thanks for reading, guys!**


	17. A Day in the Village

**Happy New Year!**

Sirius woke up earlier than usual the day after Christmas.

He was planning to take Maisie to Hogsmeade, since she hadn't been able to go the year before and the trips for this year had been canceled because of the Tournament.

As he was making breakfast, Maisie came downstairs and stood against the counter.

"Morning", Sirius said, smiling as he saw Maisie yawn.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well", Maisie replied.

"Good. I have a surprise for you today."

Maisie followed him as he took the food to the table.

"What is it?", she asked excitedly.

"I'll tell you after we're done eating."

After they finished, Sirius told his goddaughter to get her coat.

"What are we doing?", she asked when she came back.

"We're going to Hogsmeade", he answered. "I figured you'd want to since you didn't go last year, and now you can't this year."

0000

Maisie smiled and nodded.

She held on to his arm and they disappeared with a crack.

Maisie had heard that Hogsmeade was beautiful, but with the snow all around? She was sure it had to be twice as pretty.

Sirius was basically giving Maisie a tour, and she loved it.

He had just shown her where they would have lunch when they heard someone scream.

0000

Sirius frantically looked around to see where the scream had come from.

He heard another scream and someone yelled, "Death Eaters!"

Sirius put his hands on Maisie's shoulders.

"Listen. I need you to hide. Now. Go between these two buildings and stay there until I come back, okay?"

His goddaughter nodded. He could see the fear in her eyes.

The Animagus led her to where he wanted her.

He pulled out his wand and ran off.

0000

Maisie stood with her back against the wall and tried to calm herself down.

 _Sirius used to be an Auror, he'll be fine._

She tensed when more people screamed and curses were yelled.

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

" _Crucio!"_

Maisie took deep breaths.

 _He'll be okay. He has to be._

She slid down the wall until she sitting on the ground, her legs pulled to her chest.

Sirius was in the middle of it all. He was telling the people to run and hide while firing curses at the Death Eaters.

Sirius sent a patronus to Remus, who quickly apparated to the village to help.

The entire Auror department was there and, eventually, they had either captured or just barely caught the Death Eaters.

A few had gotten away, and some of them were already tracking them down.

Sirius made a beeline for the buildings Maisie was hiding between.

He found her with her head resting on her knees, shaking with sobs.

The animagus knelt beside Maisie and tapped her shoulder, making her jump.

She practically threw herself at him.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's over now, we're all okay", Sirius soothed as Maisie continued to cry.

He held on to her tightly and apparated home.

Sirius led his goddaughter to the couch and sat with her until she calmed down.

"Wh-what happened?", Maisie said, her breathing still uneven.

Sirius pulled her closer and rubbed her back.

"A few Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban, and they got to the village. Most of them were caught today, but some are still on the run", he replied.

"I was so scared", Maisie said. "I-I heard so many curses being used, a-and there were some Unforgivable Curses used and I thought maybe something happened to y-you", she sniffed, fighting back more tears.

Sirius lifted her onto his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'm right here, love, nothing happened. Everyone who fought today is safe."

 _I hope_ , he added in his mind.

Maisie yawned and leaned further into her godfather.

She fell asleep a few minutes later.

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	18. I Think We're Goin' Back

**AN: Five points to your House if you get the reference in the chapter title!**

 **(Sorry, I had to)**

It had been a week since the Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade, but Maisie was still on edge.

She wouldn't admit it, but Sirius could tell that his goddaughter was still a little scared.

He had managed to get her to talk about it, and the only thing she would say was that it brought back memories.

Sirius knew she was referring to her parents' death. She was afraid that Sirius would die the same way.

They were standing on the Platform and Maisie was still (at least to Sirius) a little shaken.

The train would leave in about twenty minutes.

"Sirius?", Maisie said as she turned to face him. "What if something happens, like-"

Sirius knelt in front of her and cut her off.

"Maisie Lily Potter, you have stop thinking like that", he said firmly. "You are going to be safe, I promise. The security at Hogwarts has been doubled since the attack. Okay?"

Maisie nodded and hugged him. "I should go. Bye, Sirius."

Sirius kissed her cheek. "Bye, love, have fun."

0000

It seemed as if _everyone_ was talking about the attack.

"How do you think they escaped?"

"My dad said some are still free!"

Maisie took a deep breath and kept walking until she found the compartment that Ron, Hermione, and Ryan were in.

The four of them talked about their holidays for a while until Ron said, "Did you lot hear about the attack at Hogsmeade?"

Maisie's nerves came back in full force. If the potions didn't make her so tired, she'd take one right now.

"I did", Hermione said, casting a concerned look at Maisie. "Maybe we can talk about it later?"

"Why-? Oh", Ron said sheepishly.

Ryan sensed her nervousness and grabbed Maisie's hand.

 _Are you okay?_ , he mouthed.

Maisie nodded and gave him a shy smile.

When the train arrived in Hogsmeade, Maisie quickly made her way to the dorm, then to the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Pomfrey?", she asked when she saw the matron.

"Yes, Ms. Potter?"

"Do you have any of those potions?"

"Yes", the older woman answered, leading the girl to her potion storage. "Are you feeling alright?"

Maisie took a deep breath and shook her head.

Madam Pomfrey handed her the potion. "You should stay here for the night, you need to calm down."

Maisie thought about protesting-she'd miss the feast!-but quickly decided against it. The last thing she wanted was to be around anyone else right now.

She got into the bed that Madam Pomfrey prepared for her and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

It was less than twenty minutes before she fell asleep.

She woke up when she felt someone stroking her hair. Maisie jumped and looked around.

"Whoa, love, it's just me", Sirius said with a chuckle.

"Sirius", she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I heard you weren't feeling too well, so I-" Footsteps interrupted them.

0000

Sirius turned around and saw a boy with blonde hair walking towards the bed.

He looked a little nervous.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Maisie smiled. "You're fine. What are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged and brushed his hair out of his face. "You were asleep when I came last night. At least, that's what Madam Pomfrey said."

Sirius looked closer at the boy until it clicked.

 _Ryan_

That's why he looked so nervous. Sirius could have fun with this.

"Is this Ryan?", he asked.

"Yeah", he answered. "Nice to meet you."

"A few people are asking what happened to you", Ryan continued, "I came up with a cover story for you, so don't worry."

Maisie giggled. "Thanks."

"Well, I should go. Neville wants help with the next Task. Are you going back to the dorms today?"

"I think so", Maisie answered. "Madam Pomfrey said I only had to stay the night. Thanks for coming", she smiled.

Ryan gave her a charming smile. "No problem. See you later. Nice meeting you, sir."

Sirius nodded at him, staring at him the entire way out.

He looked at his goddaughter with a smirk.

"What?"

"Nothing...Just looks like he really likes you."

Maisie rolled her eyes at him.

They sat in silence for a while until Madam Pomfrey came over.

"Well, Ms. Potter I believe you are well enough to go to your room. You did the right thing, coming here."

Sirius gave her a smile and helped Maisie out of the bed.

He waited while she got her robes back on, and they left the Wing together.

Sirius stopped once the were near the Great Hall.

"When did you start feeling anxious?", he asked.

Maisie's eyes darted to the floor. "I would appreciate the truth, Maisie."

"Before I got on the train...I was already running late, and I figured it wouldn't be worth it to go back home-"

"Hey", Sirius interrupted. "It _definitely_ would have been worth it. We could have gotten you here a little late."

Maisie shrugged, her eyes still on the floor.

Sirius lifted her chin. "The next time something like this happens, I want-I _need_ you to tell me. Okay?" She nodded and Sirius smiled. "Good."

He pulled her closer to him and hugged her.

"You should get in there", Sirius said as he pulled away, nodding toward the Great Hall.

Maisie nodded. "Yeah. Thank you, Sirius." And she went inside.

Sirius sighed and shook his head with a smile.

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	19. The Third Task

Maisie caught up to Neville as he was on his way to the maze. She stopped him and hugged him.

"Good luck, Neville. And, please, be careful", she said. Neville nodded against her shoulder.

"Thanks, Maisie. I should go. See you later." He turned and hurried into the small stadium.

Ryan put his arm around her. "Even if he doesn't win, he'll be alright. Come on, let's go get a seat."

Sirius and Remus had been walking towards the stadium after apparating to Hogsmeade when they saw everything.

"That's him", Sirius said, pointing to the blonde boy. Remus read his mind.

"Leave the poor kid alone, Padfoot."

"Oy, how do you know I want to do something to him?"

"I know you", Remus said, rolling his eyes as he continued down the path.

0000

Fleur Delacour was sent out of the maze, then Viktor Krum. Cedric and Neville were the only two left, and the crowd was getting restless for having to wait so long.

About forty-five minutes later, Neville and Cedric appeared outside of the maze. Neville was leaning over Cedric's limp form.

"NO!", a man cried. Amos Diggory sprinted towards his son, as did Dumbledore, the other Headmasters, Moody, and a few Ministry officials. Cedric was dead. Neville was sobbing, yelling that Voldemort was back.

 _He's back. No. He can't be_ , Sirius thought. He stood up and went to find his goddaughter.

"Maisie!", he called over the noise of the crowd.

"Sirius!", two voices answered. "Over here!"

Maisie and Ryan found him-amazingly, since the crowd was in a frenzy-and ran over to him.

They exited the stadium and went down the path a little ways.

"Are you both okay?", he asked frantically. The two kids nodded.

Apparently sensing that he wasn't needed, Ryan said, "I'll-uh-go find Ron and Hermione", and ran off.

Sirius pulled Maisie into his arms.

"We're okay. It's okay", he kept repeating, more for himself than his goddaughter.

 _He's back_ , the words kept echoing in his mind. He couldn't believe it. Sure, a lot of people figured that he'd come back at some point, but _how_? Sirius figured he'd get the details later.

He pulled away from Maisie and saw fear in her eyes. At times like this, Sirius hated that she had James' eyes. When he looked at her, especially now, he saw his best friend looking at him.

The fear James had during all those months in hiding. He'd never admit it, of course, but it was obvious to someone who had known him as long as Sirius had.

Sirius ran his hands through Maisie's hair and hugged her again.

"It'll be okay."


	20. Home

Sirius had taken Maisie home almost immediately after the Task. He had said that they were going to stay home.

"What about the funeral?", Maisie had asked quietly. Sirius shook his head and said nothing.

Maisie was sitting at the kitchen table, watching Sirius nervously. Her godfather had been extremely jumpy since they had gotten the news that Voldemort had returned.

Now he was doing little things in the kitchen, obviously trying to keep his mind off of things.

Maisie stood up and walked over to him. "Sirius?", she asked hesitantly. He looked up quickly.

"Are you alright?", she asked. _Stupid question_ , she told herself. _Of course he's not alright! No one is right now._

Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "Honestly? No, I'm not. Can't imagine too many people are right now", he took a breath to say more, but Maisie cut him off.

"Yeah. That was a stupid question", she shook her head.

"Hey", Sirius said gently. "I told you not to talk down to yourself. And it was _not_ a stupid question, I'm glad you asked, really." He gave her a small, reassuring smile.

He continued with his previous thought. "I think we all knew he'd come back eventually. It was inevitable, really. We were all hoping that it would take him longer to figure out how to."

"Do we know how he did it yet?", Maisie asked. Sirius shook his head.

"We'll probably get the details pretty soon."

Maisie nodded, giving Sirius a half-smile when he looked at her again.

He laughed. "What?", Maisie asked.

"That smile", he shook his head fondly, "James used to give me that whenever something didn't work out. You look a lot like him, you know that?"'

Maisie smiled widely. "Usually I'm only compared to mum."

Sirius nodded with a smile. "You look like Lily, too. You're a mix of them. Personality-wise as well."

The next hour was spent by Sirius telling Maisie stories about James and Lily.

Maisie fell asleep against his shoulder and Sirius carefully picked her up and carried her upstairs.

On his way back down, Sirius heard the fireplace roar and went to see who it was.

"Remus", he acknowledged with a nod. "What's happened?"

"Neville told us everything", Remus replied.

Remus told his friend what Neville had witnessed in the graveyard, and the news about Barty Crouch Jr.

Sirius sighed after he finished.

"Dumbledore wants me to go find the people who were in the original Order", Remus added after a few moments of silence.

Sirius nodded.

"Is Neville okay?", a quiet voice asked.

The two men turned around and saw Maisie standing there, her eyes wide.

"He's shaken-understandably-but alive, yes", Remus answered her.

"How long have you been there?", Sirius asked, motioning her over to him.

"A few minutes", she replied. "I was going to the bathroom when I heard you out here."

"Well, I believe I should be going home", Remus said. "Goodnight, both of you."

"Goodnight, Remus."

He stepped back into the fireplace and disappeared in the green flames.

"Well", Sirius said through a yawn. "I think we should be getting to bed, don't you?"

Maisie nodded. "Night, Sirius"

"Goodnight, love."


	21. Number 12 Grimmauld Place

….And another time-skip. Hope you enjoy!

Sirius shuddered as he felt the familiar coldness of his family's house. He hadn't stepped foot in this place since he was sixteen and had just gotten back from Hogwarts.

He hadn't stayed long after that. After the first three weeks of being there, Sirius had packed anything he'd thought he would need, and left.

To James' house, naturally.

He felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he thought of his best friend and his family. Their family, as Mrs. Potter would always tell him to say.

Sirius shook himself and kept walking through the completely dark house, not trusting anything he found. He could feel the dark magic in this place.

All of the sudden, all the lights in the house turned on, adding little light to the building.

Sirius jumped and looked around for whoever turned them on. His eyes settled on an old, sickly-looking house elf.

Kreacher.

The elf opened its mouth-probably to say that Sirius didn't belong there-but couldn't speak as Sirius cast a silencing spell on him.

He walked through a hallway and saw a huge painting drawn with curtains. This must be his mother's portrait. Sirius decided not to talk to it. Ever. He began thinking of ways to take it down.

Sirius quickly realized that he'd have to search the entire place for anything that might be dangerous or have some dark magic in it. It should probably be cleaned, as well, he thought with a sigh.

One thing was for sure, Sirius absolutely hated this place, and he had no interest at all in returning - even if it was only for a few meetings.

Sirius went outside and apparated home, hoping to clear his mind before having to go back to his family's old home.

 **Hey! Sorry it's so short, but I hope you liked it!**


	22. A Small Disagreement

Once he got home, he walked into the house and looked around for Maisie. She wasn't in her room, so he checked the sitting room. Sirius chuckled softly at what he saw.

Maisie had fallen asleep on the couch, a book was laying on the table next to her. Sirius walked over to her and knelt beside the couch, shaking his goddaughter gently.

Maisie stirred a bit and opened her eyes and looked over at him.

"When did you get back?", she asked groggily. "A few minutes ago", Sirius replied with a smile. "How long have you been asleep?"

"I don't know. An hour, maybe", she responded. She sat up and stretched. "Did you find anything?"

Sirius sighed. "A lot of things. Not to mention that the entire place will have to be cleaned thoroughly. The house hasn't been occupied - or cleaned, apparently - in a decade or so."

He stood up and walked to the kitchen, Maisie was right behind him.

"When do the meetings start?", Maisie asked, jumping up to sit on the counter.

"A few weeks. And no, you can't be in them", Sirius replied.

Maisie had been asking Sirius that ever since her godfather had told her about the meetings. She was convinced that Neville will be able to, so why shouldn't she, Ron, and Hermione?

"We don't know if Neville will even be allowed to", Sirius told her tiredly. "Also, the four of you aren't of age." They'd been over this a lot.

"But shouldn't we know what's going on?", she asked. "I mean, we want to help, too."

"If we can help it, you won't have to help. I'd really rather you didn't", Sirius told her. He had grown up in the First War and fought in it as he got older.

He lost a lot of friends and family in that war. If he could help it, Maisie would stay out of it for her entire life.

Maisie opened her mouth to speak again but Sirius cut her off.

"I don't want you in the meetings because I don't think you need to be burdened with the information."

"For as long as you can, just enjoy being a kid, okay?"

Maisie nodded, not meeting his eyes. She jumped down from the counter and started to walk away.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Are you okay?", he asked. Maisie nodded against him. "Good."

 **Hope you enjoyed! I don't like the ending, but I'll live. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	23. The Meetings

**AN: I will be paraphrasing the book during this chapter, only because it takes place after dinner when everyone is arguing about who should be in the Order. Starts when Ron asks if Neville will tell them everything.**

"...tell us everything, anyway", Ron pointed out, "Won't you, Neville?" Neville nodded.

"Fine!", Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Ginny, bed!"

After Ginny stormed out of the dining room, Sirius caught Maisie's eye and nodded towards the stairs.

Maisie gave him an indignant look. He sighed. "Maisie, can you come with me for a moment?"

Maisie nodded and followed him into the kitchen.

"Go upstairs with Ginny."

"Why?", Maisie asked.

"I told you I didn't want you in the meetings", Sirius replied.

"But Ron and Hermione-"

"Ron and Hermione are not my concern", he cut her off. "You are, and I don't want you down here. Go. See if you can calm each other down."

Maisie made a noise of frustration and left the room. Sirius sighed.

He stopped at the door when he heard muffled voices.

"Aren't you staying?", Ron asked.

"No", Maisie told him. "I'm - I'm really tired. I was going to go to our room." Sirius heard footsteps on the stairs.

At least she didn't fight him too hard.

00000

Maisie walked in and found Ginny on the bed she had claimed. Ginny sat up as her friend closed the door.

"What are you doing?", she asked, "aren't you allowed down there?"

Maisie flopped onto her bed. "Nope. Sirius doesn't want me in the meetings."

"It's not fair", Ginny said after a few minutes of silence. Maisie shrugged - even though Ginny couldn't see her.

"Sirius told me that he doesn't want me to be burdened with whatever they talk about. Your mum is probably the same way", Maisie tried to reason.

Ginny was quiet, but Maisie could tell her friend wasn't convinced.

She sighed and pulled out the book she had been reading, happy to stay quiet for the next hour or so.

00000

The meeting lasted about an hour and a half, and after it was over, Sirius went upstairs to get Maisie so they could go home.

He found Maisie on her bed reading, Ginny had fallen asleep.

Maisie looked up and he motioned for her to come with him. They went outside the wards and apparated home.

Maisie was on her way to her room when Sirius stopped her.

"Sit down for a minute." She did.

"I'll tell you _some_ of what we talk about, okay? Nothing too big. Okay?"

Maisie nodded. "Okay."

"Alright. So, we believe…."


	24. The Ride Back

When they reached the platform, Sirius put his hands on his goddaughter's shoulders.

"Are you feeling okay?", he asked. Maisie rolled her eyes playfully. "It was one time", she said indignantly.

"Yes, and I'll never trust you again", Sirius told her mock-seriously. "Anyway, I want to give you something."

He pulled a small package out of his robes and handed it to her.

"It's a two-way mirror. I have the other one, so if you need me just say my name into it."

"Thanks Sirius", Maisie said. He pulled her into a tight hug.

"Go on, then", Sirius shoved her playfully towards the train.

00000

Maisie found Ryan almost immediately when she got on the train.

"Hey, there you are", he greeted, hugging her.

"Hey", she replied. "Have you seen Ron or Hermione?"

"Yeah, they got on pretty early. They're in the Prefect's Carriage."

 _Oh, right_. "Oh, yeah, I forgot."

Ron and Hermione had been made the Gryffindor Prefects - Fred and George had quite a bit of fun teasing their brother about it.

The two of them found a compartment and sat down, talking about their summers as the train pulled away from King's Cross.

0000

Sirius was on his way to the exit of the platform when a woman called, "Excuse me!"

He turned around and saw a couple heading towards him.

"Can I help you?", he asked politely. The man smiled.

"Sorry", he said, "We saw you with Maisie Potter. You're her godfather, correct?"

"Yes, I am. Sorry, you are?", he asked.

"Oh, we're Ryan's parents", the woman answered. "We've known Maisie since she and our son first met. She's a sweetheart."

Sirius smiled proudly. "Yes, she is."


	25. Professor Umbridge

Maisie had had it with Umbridge. She was worse to Neville than Snape was.

Well, maybe not _that_ bad. But still horrible.

At this moment, she was telling Neville that Voldemort really wasn't back.

Maisie raised her hand.

"Yes?", the Ministry-worked asked. Maisie plastered on a fake smile.

"Do you have any proof that Voldemort is _not_ back?", she asked pleasantly.

"What's your name, dear?"

"Maisie Potter", she answered.

"Well, Ms. Potter, there is also no proof that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named _is_ back. Only the word of a fifteen-year-old boy", Umbridge answered.

"Why would Neville make it up?", she asked. Ryan kicked her chair, telling her to stop.

"Ms. Potter, I think we've had enough of your input tomorrow at seven. Now, if we may move along-"

Maisie's stomach dropped at the idea of a detention, but, for some reason, she couldn't stop herself.

"Please, Professor", she continued with a false-sweetness. "What makes you think that Neville would lie about Voldemort coming back?"

Umbridge came right to her desk.

"Ms. Potter", she said in a low voice. "Perhaps part of your detention can be writing a letter to your guardian about your behavior in my class. Seven o'clock tomorrow."

Maisie flushed at the idea. _Fantastic_.

Maisie sat in Umbridge's office the next evening, getting more uneasy the longer she sat there.

"First, I want you to write that letter", the woman told her. "Then, you will write lines for me."

Maisie got out a quill and parchment and was about to start when Umbridge told her,

"Keep in mind, Ms. Potter, that I will be reading this letter as well."

Great.

After she finished the letter, she grabbed a new piece of parchment. "What am I writing, Professor?"

Umbridge put a different quill on the desk. "I want you to write 'I must not tell lies' using this quill."

"How many times?"

"As long as it takes for the message to _sink in_ ", Umbridge replied.

00000

Sirius couldn't believe this.

He had gotten two letters from Maisie; one that sounded like she was told what to write, and one that sounded more like her.

Remus was visiting, and Sirius read the first letter out loud to his friend.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _I have been given detention for telling lies and talking back to Professor Umbridge._

 _She is having me write lines and write this letter to you as a punishment._

 _I'm so sorry to bother you,_

 _Maisie._

"There is no way she wrote this", Sirius told Remus. He picked up the second letter and skimmed it quickly.

"She definitely wrote this one."

 _Sirius,_

 _Ignore the first letter completely. I wanted to write what was really going on, but Umbridge wanted to proof-read it._

 _The detention was unfair. She was saying that Neville was lying about Voldemort being back!_

 _Why would he lie about that? She's insane, I swear._

 _I'll talk to you soon,_

 _Maisie._

Sirius grabbed the mirror and said his goddaughter's name into it.

"Sirius?", she asked as her face appeared.

"I just got your letters", he told her. "Were you really arguing with her?"

Maisie blushed and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Maisie", he sighed. "Why does it bother you what she thinks, anyway?"

"I don't know", she replied, looking at her recently-scarred hand. _I should tell him_ , she thought, _but what can he do? She's from the Ministry. It's not like she can be fired._

"Maisie?"

"Sorry, what did you say?", she asked. Sirius gave her a look she couldn't read.

"I said I want you to tell me if Umbridge bothers you again. Are you alright?"

Maisie nodded, focusing on not biting her lip - something she did whenever she lied - and replied, "Yeah, just a little tired. Trying to get back into the schedule and everything."

Sirius nodded. "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay." The mirror went blank and Maisie collapsed against her bed, wincing as her scarred hand made contact with the mattress.


	26. Hogsmeade & Explanations

Sirius had to make a trip to Hogwarts to talk with Dumbledore about the Order, and apparated to Hogsmeade first.

He had forgotten it was one of the weekends when the students would be there. The village was much more crowded than it normally was when the kids were out.

Sirius was making his way to the castle when he heard Maisie's voice. He looked around and saw her and Ryan walking towards another shop.

"...not saying I agree with her", Ryan said, "I'm just saying that it's only been a month and you're already on her bad side."

"If she was anyone else, I wouldn't argue with her so much", Maisie told him.

Sirius moved behind a building so they wouldn't see him.

"How's your hand?", Ryan asked, changing the subject.

 _Her hand?_

"Can we stop talking about it, please? For the fifth time, it's _fine_."

"Maisie, it's not fine. You should have told McGonagall after the first time."

 _The first time?_

"All I'm saying is you can't go on like this forever", the boy's voice dropped to a whisper, but Sirius could just barely pick out the word "torturing".

That was it. Sirius, trying to make it seem as if he wasn't listening, walked around one of the buildings so that he was going towards the two kids.

"Sirius", Maisie said, surprised, when she saw him coming. Her right hand immediately went behind her back.

Ryan was giving her a significant look, but Maisie decided to ignore him.

"What are you doing here?", Maisie asked, her eyes not meeting her godfather's.

"I had to meet with Dumbledore today and we finished about a half hour ago, so I figured I'd waste some time here."

Maisie wasn't making eye contact.

"Maisie", Sirius said calmly. "Are you alright? You seem a little on edge."

Maisie shrugged, her eyes on the ground. Ryan stepped in then.

"She's a little nervous about her detention with Umbridge", he informed the older wizard.

Maisie's glare could've killed Ryan if he was looking at her.

 _Another detention? On a Saturday?_

"Maisie, would you mind walking back to the castle with me?"

She looked at Ryan. "But, we're -"

Ryan shook his head. "I don't mind. I'll see you tonight at dinner."

Sirius smiled at him and motioned for Maisie to follow him.

00000

"A detention on a Saturday", Sirius said conversationally. "I believe that's a first for you, isn't it?"

Maisie kept her eyes on the ground as they walked. She looked up and saw they had reached the gate.

"What's bothering you?", Sirius asked.

Maisie shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you alone until you tell me what's going on."

No answer.

"I heard you two talking", Sirius said after a few minutes of silence. Maisie looked up at him quickly.

"I believe I told you to tell me if Umbridge bothered you again. Didn't I?"

Maisie felt her face get warm. "Yes", she practically whispered.

"What is Umbridge having you do in these detentions?"

"Lines."

Sirius nodded. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what she meant by "lines".

"Let me see your hand."

"Why?", Maisie asked too quickly.

"Maisie, let me see your hand. Now."

She tried to hide it behind her back again, but Sirius caught her by the wrist and looked at it.

"How many detentions have you had with her?", he asked.

"I don't-", seeing Sirius' stern look, she restarted. "Five, so far, I think."

"And you have another tonight?"

Maisie nodded.

Sirius turned around and opened the gate. "I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing. Then, we have to talk."

 _Great._

 **I moved the first Hogsmeade weekend way up, I think. And I only made it five detentions up to that point, because I think Maisie would only argue with Umbridge every once in awhile.**


	27. Home for a Day

Sirius took his goddaughter home to talk to her.

He sat across from her at the table and looked at her expectantly.

Maisie absently pulled a loose thread on the bandages on her scarred hand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Maisie looked up at him, seeming genuinely confused.

"Maisie", he sighed, "I'm not mad at you. Well, I'm not exactly happy that you kept this from me, but I'm not angry."

"Why didn't you tell me?", he asked. "Umbridge could've been gone by now if you had."

"I don't know", she replied. "I thought that, since she worked for the Ministry, no one could get her fired. I didn't think anyone would believe me."

"Did you tell anyone?"

Maisie shook her head. She heard Sirius stand up and heard him grab the chair next to her.

"I haven't the slightest idea what's going through your mind right now. Would you like to tell me?"

"I didn't think anyone would listen to me because Umbridge is from the Ministry. I figured that no one could get her to leave", she told him quietly.

"Look at me." She did.

"When I told you to come to me when something was wrong, I really meant _anything_. I might not be able to fix it right away, but I'll try."

Maisie nodded.

"So", he continued, suddenly stern, "I want you to tell me if something's bothering you. No exceptions. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, come here." Sirius opened his arms and, when Maisie walked over to him, pulled her onto his lap, surprising her.

"What about tonight's detention?", Maisie asked against his shoulder. Sirius ran his hand over her hair.

"Don't worry about that. I got permission for you to stay here until tomorrow night."

"You didn't have to -"

Sirius pulled her away from him for a moment.

"Humor me."


	28. Umbridge Gets Sacked

After what seemed like forever, Sirius was walking toward Dumbledore's office with Maisie trailing behind him.

It had taken the wizard twenty minutes to get his goddaughter to come with him.

" _Sirius, it's not going to do anything. She's from the Ministry - she can't be sacked!"_

" _We won't know until we try. Now, let's go."_

 _Maisie didn't move._

 _Sirius rubbed his forehead._

" _I'd really rather not put you in a body bind and carry you, but I can if I have to."_

" _Okay, fine", Maisie sighed._

She had been silent ever since.

Sirius knew why Maisie didn't want to go. It was a few things:

1\. She didn't want the attention.

2\. She didn't think Sirius would be able to change the Ministry's mind.

3\. She was worried that Sirius would get into trouble for her.

Sirius slowed down so he could walk beside her.

"She's gonna kill me for missing a detention", Maisie commented. Sirius gently squeezed her hand.

"No, she won't", Sirius told her. "At least not with Dumbledore watching."

Maisie smiled a little.

They went up the stairs to the Headmaster's office. The door was open.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, Umbridge and the Minister standing on his left.

Umbridge had nothing but hatred in her eyes as she looked at Maisie. Sirius must've seen it, too, as he pulled his goddaughter closer to him.

"I believe there has been a problem between Ms. Potter and Professor Umbridge?", Minister Fudge said after a brief awkward silence.

Sirius nudged Maisie to get her to speak.

"Erm, yes", she finally said. "She - she used a Blood Quill on me in detention."

"How many detentions have you had with her?", Dumbledore asked, his expression dark.

"Not counting the one I missed last night, five."

"Minister", Umbridge said in her disgustingly sweet voice. "This girl was interrupting my class and spreading lies! She needed to be punished."

"How many times did she interrupt you?", Sirius asked, not able to contain himself any longer.

"Four times on the first day", the Ministry worker replied.

"Any other instances?", Fudge asked. Maisie shook her head as Umbridge said, "Once, the fourth day of term."

"That was completely different", Maisie pointed out. "It wasn't even for the same reason!"

Sirius rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"What was the reason?", the Minister asked.

"She was being horrible to because they didn't understand what we were doing in class. I stood up for them."

"I see", Dumbledore said. "Dolores, there are other ways to deal with our students, and I am afraid that a Blood Quill is not acceptable in this school. I think you should leave the castle at once."

"You cannot do this!", the woman exclaimed. "Minister, you can't allow him to do this!"

"I'm afraid I do not disagree, Dolores", Fudge told her. "As a matter of fact, I think I will relieve you of your position in the Ministry as well."

Umbridge gaped at the man.

Sirius and Maisie exchanged smiles.

As the Minister passed them on his way out, he said, "I apologize for the trouble she had caused. And I would like to thank you for bringing this to my attention."

He left, and, after thanking Dumbledore, Maisie and Sirius left as well.

They were halfway down the corridor when they heard Umbridge yell something.

The usually perky woman was fuming as she approached them. Sirius quickly moved Maisie behind him and took out his wand.

"Not another step", he said gravely. Umbridge looked as if she wanted to say something but, after eyeing the man's wand warily, decided against it and walked away.

 **I think we** _ **all**_ **wish Umbridge got fired. Thanks for reading!**


	29. The Fight

Ch.29: The Fight

After Umbridge left, Dumbledore had to find a new Defense teacher very quickly.

After much consideration and a lot of badgering on Sirius' part, Remus agreed to take the job back.

Word had gotten around quickly that Maisie got Umbridge sacked, and her "Inquisitorial Squad" was _not_ happy with her.

Malfoy made that perfectly clear to her one day as she was walking down the corridor with Ron and Hermione.

"Potter!", he called. Maisie rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Yes, Malfoy?"

"I heard your precious godfather got Umbridge sacked. Can't fight your own battles, can you?"

"Shove it, Malfoy", Ron shot back, "The toad was torturing Maisie. How could Sirius just sit and watch?"

"Besides", Hermione chimed in, "You're only upset that she's gone because you and the others were getting special treatment. More than usual, anyway."

Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini had joined Malfoy at this point.

"And what is that to you, _Mudblood_?", Pansy asked.

Ron pulled out his wand but Maisie grabbed his arm. "Don't, Ron. They aren't worth it."

Malfoy laughed. "See this? She calls herself a Gryffindor and she's afraid of a duel!"

"I'm not _afraid_ ", she told him, "I'm just not in the mood to get in trouble because of you three."

The Slytherins continued to laugh. Ron had had enough. He pulled out his wand and shot a stunning spell at Zabini.

"Hah! The blood traitor is less afraid than Potter is!", Zabini chuckled as he easily blocked the spell.

Pansy shot a Stinging Jinx at Hermione, which hit her arm.

Maisie tried to disarm her, but while she was distracted, Malfoy shot a hex at her that cut her cheek.

She hissed in pain and held her hand to her face, feeling the blood flowing from it.

Remus hurried over and summoned their wands from them.

"What is going on here?", he asked sharply, eyeing each of the students in turn. He stopped when he saw Maisie.

"Malfoy hexed her and it cut her cheek", Hermione explained, looking at her friend sympathetically.

Remus nodded. "Ron, Hermione, you two go to Professor McGonagall and explain what happened. You three", he turned to the Slytherins, "may go to Professor Snape."

"Maisie, come with me, please."

Once they got to his office, Maisie sat down and Remus gave her a cloth to hold on the cut.

"What happened?", he asked, looking through his cabinets.

"Malfoy happened", she said. She then explained everything to him.

"I really didn't _want_ to fight them", Maisie said as she finished the story. "He shot the hex at me."

"Yes", Remus said, kneeling in front of her and opening a salve. "But you could have very easily walked away from them and gotten a teacher."

"Pull your hair back", he instructed. Maisie pulled her hair into a ponytail, wincing as the salve made contact with the cut.

"Are you going to give me detention?", she asked quietly. Remus shook his head.

"No, but when you get home, I want you to tell Sirius what's happened. Okay?"

Maisie sighed, but nodded anyway.

"Alright", Remus told her when he finished. "Hurry and get to lunch. And Maisie?"

She turned around.

"I don't want to hear your name when I hear about dueling again. Okay?"

Maisie smiled. "Okay. Thank you."

 **Thanks for reading!**


	30. Explaining To Do

Maisie had managed to hide the cut on her cheek for a few hours before Sirius asked about it.

He pushed her hair back. "What happened?"

"Someone hexed me", she answered simply.

"Why? Who was it?", Sirius asked, his eyes narrow.

"Malfoy. He, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson started a fight with Ron. Pansy hit Hermione with a hex, I tried to disarm her, and this happened."

"I'm going to kill him."

"Sirius, I'm fine, Remus helped me", she told him. "And I'm sure they got detention for starting the whole thing."

Sirius gently rubbed his thumb along the almost-healed cut.

"I'm okay Sirius, really", she continued, smiling slightly. He nodded and pulled his hand away.

"So, how is it now that Umbridge is gone?", Sirius asked, changing the subject.

"Great", Maisie replied. "Everyone was really excited to have Remus back. Except the Slytherins, apparently."

"Why did they like her, anyway?", Sirius asked her.

"She started the 'Inquisitorial Squad' and it was almost all Slytherins. She gave them special treatment. More than what they usually get, anyway."

"Are Ron and Hermione alright?"

Maisie nodded. "Oh, yeah. It didn't go too far before Remus found us."

"Good."

 **Hey guys! I know this is a short chapter, and I'm not really too happy with it, but I figured I had to post it after the last one. In other news, I think we only have TWO MORE CHAPTERS before I mark this story as completed! I am planning on a sequel that includes Maisie's sixth and seventh years that will start pretty soon after this is done. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	31. The Rescue

**Little bit of a timeskip between this chapter and the last one, I hope you don't mind!**

 **I don't own anything you recognize!**

The rest of the year went on without any major problems. Everyone was doing well in Defence again, no one was afraid of detentions anymore. Dumbledore's Army was still meeting, although not in secret.

Everyone was enjoying themselves.

Until Neville got a vision showing him that his grandmother had been captured by the Death Eaters and was being interrogated - and maybe killed.

He was frantic; running through the corridors as Maisie, Ron, and Hermione followed. Luna and Ginny found them once they had stopped.

Once Neville had explained everything, his friends told him that he wasn't going to do this by himself.

"No", he told them, "I can't let you all be in danger for me."

"Done it before, haven't we?", Ron asked dryly.

"Maybe we should tell someone first", Maisie suggested. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"There's no time", Neville said. "Come on, let's go."

00000

Sirius was going through many different emotions after he was told what was going on.

Anger, surprise, fear, anxiety, confusion.

 _Why_ would six teenagers go to the Ministry on some crazy rescue mission that wasn't even real?

Neville's grandmother, Augusta, had a small panic attack when she heard what happened. She was, in fact, _not_ captured by the Death Eaters. She opted to stay behind as the rest of the Order went to help the kids out of the trap.

As they ran towards the entrance, Sirius grabbed Tonks' arm and stopped the both of them.

Before Tonks could ask what he was doing, Sirius said, "If you can find Maisie, please take her home and stay with her until we figure this out. Please?"

Tonks nodded, understanding her cousin's grave expression. "I can do that."

Sirius thanked her and together they continued into the Department of Mysteries.

00000

The Death Eaters were everywhere. Lucius Malfoy was cornering Neville for the Prophecy when the Order of the Phoenix showed up.

Sirius jumped to Neville's side to help him fight Malfoy. Maisie was watching them as she felt a hand close over her wrist.

Without thinking about who it might be, she began to struggle.

Maisie heard a woman's voice telling her to stop, but she couldn't register who it was. She was pulled closer to the woman.

"Maisie, stop."

It was Tonks. Maisie stopped and looked up at the older witch. "Let me go, Tonks", she demanded.

Tonks shook her head and, now holding Maisie's tightly, bolted from the Department, tripping twice on the floor as she went.

She stopped once they got outside, catching her breath.

"What are you doing?", Maisie exclaimed. "Why aren't we still in there fighting! Why did you drag me away?!"

"Sirius wants me to take you home so you'll be safe", Tonks explained calmly, grabbing Maisie's hand once more.

She apparated before the younger girl could react.

They appeared outside Sirius and Maisie's home, and Maisie quickly shook Tonks off and ran inside.

Tonks sighed and followed her in.

"Maisie?", she called as she walked around.

She was in the living room, sitting in front of the fireplace. She heard Tonks sit down beside her.

"Sorry, kid", she said softly. "Sirius just wants you to be safe."

Maisie nodded. "I know. I'm sorry I was so - horrible to you. I was confused, I guess."

The Metamorphmagus put her arm around Maisie.

"It's okay. I'd be the same way."

Maisie smiled slightly but said nothing.

"What's up?"

Maisie stared at the logs in the fireplace. "What if - what if something happens to them?"

"They'll be fine, okay? The Auror department was notified almost immediately after we got the news of what you nutters were doing", Tonks paused for a moment, "What _were_ you doing, anyway?"

Her voice had a sharper edge to it that Maisie had never heard.

"Trying to help Neville", Maisie explained. "What, were we supposed to let him go alone?"

"No", Tonks sighed, "You were supposed to tell Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape - anyone who'd listen, really."

"I told them that!", Maisie said emphatically. "But Neville said that there wasn't enough time."

They were both quiet for a while before Tonks said, "I think you should try to relax a bit. You've been pretty high strung since I found you."

Maisie nodded and slowly stood up. She made her way to the couch and sat down, leaning her head back against it.

She was asleep in a few minutes.

 **Hey! I'm sorry if the perspectives are a little confusing in this one, I kind of realized it was as I was writing.**


	32. Safe For Now

**Well, we've made it. The** _ **final chapter**_ **, you guys! Thank you all so much for the support you've given me on this story, I really, really appreciate it.**

 **As I said a couple chapters back, I am in the process of writing the sequel to this story! It will cover Maisie's sixth and seventh years and how she and Sirius cope with the War getting more intense.**

 **Hope you enjoy this last chapter!**

 **I don't own anything you recognize.**

Sirius found Tonks sitting at the kitchen table reading the _Prophet_ when he got back.

"Well?", she asked. Sirius ran his hands through his hair.

"The Ministry believes Voldemort's back now, at least", he replied. Tonks gasped.

"He was there?"

Sirius nodded. "Right before all the Ministry workers - and the Minister himself - showed up for work. Most of the Death Eaters were detained, but Bellatrix and Voldemort got away."

Tonks shook her head in disbelief.

"How's Maisie?", he asked.

"Fought me pretty hard as we left. She's asleep on the couch right now. She was really worried about you lot."

"Thank you for staying with her", Sirius told his cousin genuinely.

Tonks waved him off. "Don't worry about it."

She left shortly after.

Sirius took a deep breath and walked into the sitting room, smiling slightly at his goddaughter.

He knelt beside the couch and shook her gently. She woke up fairly quickly.

"Sirius!", she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Is everyone okay?"

"As good as they can be", he said. "Do you want to explain to me _why_ exactly you were at the Ministry last night?"

00000

Maisie sighed internally before beginning the story.

When she finished, Sirius stood up and sat down next to her on the couch, putting his arm around her and pulling her close.

"We knew it was a trap, since Augusta was with us, so we knew the Death Eaters just wanted Neville. Do you realize that they could have easily taken you five out and just dragged Neville away?"

"We weren't going to let him go alone!", Maisie exclaimed. Sirius ran his fingers through her hair.

"I know, and while I'm proud of you for wanted to help, you could have convinced him to tell someone first, or you could have anyway." He sighed.

"You're determined to worry me, aren't you?"

"Sorry", Maisie said quietly. "For everything."

Sirius nodded and pulled her closer to him so she was almost on his lap.

"I love you, Maisie."

"Love you too."

 **And there we have it! The final chapter. Again, thank you guys SO much for all the support you've given me throughout this whole process, it really means a lot. The sequel will come out soon and will be called "I Want To Fight".**


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